Osteochondral lesions of the talus: results of repeat arthroscopic debridement.

BACKGROUND

Repeat arthroscopic debridement of osteochondral lesions of the talus has a poor reputation despite a paucity of evidence in the literature.

METHODS

We reviewed all patients who had repeat arthroscopic debridement of an osteochondral lesion performed by the senior author. They were scored using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot Scale, and lesions were graded using the system described by Berndt and Harty.

RESULTS

Between 1993 and 2002, 808 consecutive ankle arthroscopies were performed by the senior author, of which 215 were to treat osteochondral lesions of the talus. Of these, 12 had repeat arthroscopies because of unresolved symptoms. AOFAS scores improved from a mean of 34.8 prior to arthroscopy to 80.5 after repeat arthroscopy at a mean followup of 5.9 years (18 months to 11 years). Two patients returned to professional sports after the second procedure. Six patients returned to their preinjury levels of sporting activity and three returned to the same sports but played to a lesser standard or less frequently. One patient had already had a cartilage transplantation procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first series specifically assessing patients who have had repeat arthroscopic debridement of osteochondral lesions of the talus, using the same debridement technique by a single surgeon. Our results question the assumption that repeat arthroscopic debridement yields poor results. They also provide a baseline for the newer chondral and osteochondral transplantation techniques to compare to at the medium term.